United States History
European Exploration of the Americans
The first Europeans to reach North America ,under a
leader named Leif Ericson.
Vikings what is now Norway
In about 1000 years,they established a settlement (
Newfoundland ), but abandoned soon.
Newfoundland located in Canada.
Christopher Columbus
In 1492,the Italian explorer sailed west from Spain
Searching for router in Asia
Trade with Asia was very attractive to Europeans
The continents of North America and South America
blocked path to Asia
Made landfall ( Bahamas )
They thought they had reached islands near India off the
coast of Asia
That’s why, they called the people who living in there
Indians
After Columbus returned from the New World,made
three more voyages (long journey ) to Central and South
America
United States
In 1500s,Spanish explorers came to North America in
search of gold
Juan Ponce De Leon was the first European to reach
United States , landed in Florida
Hernando De Soto to reach the Mississippi River
Francisco Vasquez De Coronado explored the
American South West
Amerigo Vespucci was sighted to the mouth of the
Amazon River
The Mississippi river is the largest
river in North America.
The Amazon river is the largest
river in South America.
Other European explorers
John Cabot, whose voyage was landed in Canada,
for finding rich fishing areas
Giovanni da Verrazano ,explored the Atlantic coast
of North America ,enter New York Bay
In 1608,Samuel de Champlain ,founded a fur-
trading post named Quebec
In 1609,the Dutch ,sent English ship Captain Henry
Hudson ,he sailed up the Husdon River in New
York
Next years,the Dutch started a colony called New
Netherland
In the New World,they established settlements
and spread their culture ,influence
language;customs;foods, is visible today
The English Colony in Virginia
In 1585,English Colonists made a settlement on
Roanoke Island ,North Carolina
Groups of English merchants were starting a new
settlement in North America
About 100 people sailed to the area Virginia
,established a town called Jamestown
John Rolfe, learned from the Native Americans,
about tobacco
In 1619, created an elected legislature called the
House of Burgesses
Most of these elected representatives were
members of the Church Of England
George Washington was elected to the House of
Burgesses in 1758 and served in this position for 15
years. Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were also
members of this legislature. At the time Washington
was elected as a burgess, each county sent two
representatives, who by law had to be male landowners
and at least 21 years old.
English Colonies in New England and Maryland
In early 1600s,Pilgrims,set sail on the Mayflower to
Virginia
The Pilgrims drafted by Mayflower Compact, for their
colony in Plymouth
It was the first framework of government written and
enacted in the territory
By the 1640s, approximately 20,000 Puritans lived in
this region, the area became known as New England
Religion played a significant role in the government of
the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Only male colonists who were members of the church
and who owned land were able to vote
One prominent colonist named Roger Williams
believed that the government should not establish
laws dealing with religion.
In 1636, Rhode Island, government and religion were kept
separate, and people could worship as they chose.
Thomas Hooker, a minister, also disagreed with some of
the laws established by the Puritan leaders. He led a small
group of colonists to an area in Connecticut to establish a
community in which all men could vote,regardless of
whether or not they were members of the church. The
colony of New Hampshire was established when colonists
from the Massachusetts Bay Colony moved farther north
to settle.
Around this same time, in 1632, King Charles I of England
gave North American land to Cecilius Calvert, an English
noble also known as Lord Baltimore. Calvert, a Catholic,
founded the colony of Maryland so that members of his
religion could escape the religious persecution they often
faced in England.
Which is a true statement inferred from the timeline?
A. It was unusual for weather to impact the course of a ship.
B. It was John Carver’s idea to create the Mayflower
Compact.
C. The Pilgrims were disappointed that they did not land in
Virginia.
D. The Pilgrims recognized the importance of establishing a
government.
Summary
Maryland __ Catholic
Massachusett s Bay Colony __ Paritan
Plymouth __ Pilgrim
Three Colonies are Rhode Island ,New Hampshire,
Connecticut.
The Thirteen Colonies Take Shape
In 1663, the new king of England, Charles II, wanted to start
another colony in North America.
The colony that King Charles founded was called Carolina.
Colonists began to settle this area because of its quality
farmland.
In 1729 ,the colony was separated into North Carolina and
South Carolina.
In 1664, the Dutch colony of New Netherland was taken over
by English forces.
John Berkeley and George Carteret, who divided it into two
colonies, which later joined to become New Jersey in 1702.
Each governor selected a small group of leaders to advise him.
The colonists were also given the opportunity to elect
representatives to an assembly to work with the governor to
enact laws.
William Penn, an Englishman who belonged to a
religious group known as Quakers, hoped to start a
colony in which people could peacefully coexist despite
religious differences.
Quakers believed that everyone should have the
freedom to worship as he or she wished.
They were often punished for such beliefs in England
because everyone was expected to belong to the
Church of England.
In 1681, Penn was given a large piece of land in North
America as repayment for money owed to his family by
King Charles II, Pennsylvania.
Colonists enjoyed freedom of worship as well as the
opportunity to elect representatives to the colony’s
assembly.
Penn was later given more land by the Duke of York.
This land was part of Pennsylvania for a time, but later
it became a new colony, Delaware.
In 1732, King George II of England started another colony in an
attempt to keep the French and Spanish .
James Oglethorpe, as an English lawmaker , established strict
rules for this new colony.
Colonists were not allowed to consume alcohol , own slaves, or
make their own laws but Oglethorpe did.
Envision a colony for debtors and the poor, who would have the
opportunity to begin new lives and avoid imprisonment for their
debts in England.
He brought a group of these people to the colony, free of
charge, and gave them small pieces of land to farm.
By the mid-1700s, there were 13 English colonies along the
Atlantic coast ; New Hampshire , Massachusetts , Rhode Island,
Connecticut ,New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Delaware ,Virginia North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The populations of the colonies grew steadily, enticed by the
economic and political conditions offered, as well as by the
opportunity to own land.
Summary
The reason why English colonists came to America. They want
political freedom , economic opportunity , escape persecution
and establishment of trade.
2. Which conclusion can be drawn based on the data in the graph?
A. Colonists became increasingly dissatisfied with their decision
to come to New England.
B. Colonists became increasingly satisfied with their decision to
come to New England.
C. Colonists came to the New England colonies in decreasing
numbers over time.
D. Colonists came to the New England colonies in increasing
numbers over time.
3. Which statement accurately reflects the data in the graph?
A. The fewest colonists arrived in the New England colonies
after1750.
B. The greatest number of colonists arrived in the New England
colonies before 1620.
C. More than 300,000 colonists had arrived in the New
England colonies by 1750.
D. More than 100,000 colonists had arrived in the New England
colonies by 1640.
Tensions Rise Between the Colonies and Great Britain
When considering the historical document that have shape
the history of our country, the Declaration of Independence.
In an effort to deal with a huge war debt, King George III of
Great Britain and the British Parliament enacted a number of
laws that imposed taxes on the colonists.
Sugar Act of 1764, which taxed sugar as well as coffee and
cloth. The Stamp Act of 1765 required colonists to pay for a
British stamp on any official document.
These acts angered the colonists because they had no say in
the passing of the laws.
They believed that their own elected representatives, rather
than Parliament, should make decisions regarding taxes in
the colonies.
In order to convince the British government to repeal the
Stamp Act, many colonists boycotted British goods.
• The boycott worked and the Stamp Act was repealed the
following year, Parliament enacted new taxes.
• The Townshend Acts taxed items imported from Britain to
the colonies, such as lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea.
• This caused so much anger among the colonists that they
threatened violence against British tax officials.
• As a result, Britain sent soldiers to protect these officials
from the colonists, an act that frustrated the colonists.
• Again, the taxed items were boycotted and the colonists
substituted American-made goods for British imports.
• Britain eventually repealed many of the taxes but retained
the tax on tea as a way of asserting Britain’s right to tax the
colonists.
• In 1770 in Boston, an argument between a group of colonists
and a British soldier grew to include several soldiers.
• Shots were fired, killing five colonists in what was called the
Boston Massacre. This event greatly increased the colonists’
distrust and resentment of the British government.
In 1773, the Tea Act gave a British company the right to
sell low-priced tea to the colonists. The price of the tea
included a tax to which the colonists had not consented.
The colonists were angered by what they called
“taxation without representation.”
A group of colonists dumped the tea into Boston Harbor,
an event now known as the Boston Tea Party.
In response ,the British Parliament passed the
Intolerable Acts.
These laws were intended to punish the colonists by
closing the port of Boston and bringing the government
of Massachusetts under tighter British control.
1. According to the graph, in which year was the value of
goods imported from Britain greatest?
A. 1700
B. 1775
C. 1776
D. 1740
The Boston Tea Party is known as a central event in the
American Revolution. But, it was simply the culmination of a
series of events which led the thirteen American colonies
closer to independence.
2. Between which years did
the value of colonial imports
from Britain increase the
most?
A. 1720–1740
B. 1740–1760
C. 1760–1775
D. 1775–1776
